The present invention relates to a rug shampooing machine and especially to a rug shampooer which uniquely and efficiently provides for cleaning of rugs and the like with a prefoamed detergent.
A variety of devices of machines for home use in scrubbing and polishing floors, and also in scrubbing or shampooing rugs and carpets, has developed over the past decade or so. The resultant mass production effort attendant these developments has brought about sharp decreases in the cost of the units; hence, they have found a widespread market compared with the commercial units that were available 10 years ago.
A fundamental approach that has been taken in the design of machines for rug cleaning is to provide a unit that is eminently suited to produce the required scrubbing action for cleaning the rug or carpet and at the same time includes a means for vacuuming the dirty water resulting from the scrubbing action. An example of a rug shampooer which provides this assembly of functions is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,392,418.
It has become an object of the machine described in the aforesaid patent, as well as other machines known in the prior art, to minimize the wetting of the rug in the scrubbing or shampooing operation and thereby to promote efficient cleaning thereof. Accordingly, it becomes necessary to create a foam from the liquid detergent before depositing the detergent on to the rug. It is noteworthy that a properly prepared foam made from a liquid detergent is far less expensive and more effective than dry, powdered materials, which have sometimes been sprinkled on the rug.
It is therefore a fundamental object of the present invention to provide a compact, efficient and economical rug shampooing machine.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide an efficient foam generating mechanism.
Another object is to provide such a foam generating mechanism so as to avoid the complications entailed when a source of air must be supplied to a manifold in creating such foam.
A primary feature of the present invention resides in the arrangement of a simplified foam generating mechanism which includes two rollers situated above the scrubbing brush just below a detergent source outlet. The two rollers are continuously compressed together in order to create the foam. More specifically, the axes of these rollers are in a substantially horizontal plane and parallel to the surface to be cleaned. The rollers are of different diameters, the larger of the two being a foam plastic roller, which is driven by a belt connected to the scrubbing brush.
Since it is a well known fact that the user of a typical vacuum cleaner device has become accustomed to a forward and reverse stroke, that is to a back and forth movement of the cleaning device, the rug shampooer of the present invention has been designed with this in mind.
Accordingly, it is another major object of the present invention to make the rug shampooing machine operation conform closely to the conventional operation of cleaning devices which are operated by the user with a back and forth movement. In other words, it has been recognized as extremely efficacious to provide a rug shampooing machine which conforms as closely as possible to this preconditioned mode of operation. However it becomes desirable, as will be apparent, that the scrubbing action on the carpet or rug will take place only during the forward stroke or forward movement of the machine and not during the return stroke.
It is therefore another object of the present invention to provide a mechanism which will produce lift-off of the brush from the surface to be cleaned when the machine is in its reverse stroke or backward movement.
Yet another object is to incorporate the lift-off mechanism such that it automatically operates on the return stroke to lift off the brush.
The above cited objects and purposes relating to brush lift-off are accomplished by the mechanism of the present invention which works upon a reaction principle and involves very little force in the operation. In effect, there is no conscious manipulation of any part by the operator in order to bring about the brush lift-off. Rather, by simply pulling the machine backwardly, which is an accustomed action, the reaction principle is effectuated. Specifically, the brush lift-off mechanism comprises a linkage system connected to the handle and suitably pivoted to the base or housing of the rug shampooing machine such that the inertia of the machine on the rug creates enough reaction to operate the linkage with no effect on the operator. Moreover, when the return stroke is finished the brush, and concomittantly if desired, the vacuum pick-up, are automatically dropped down and assume their original positions.
Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be appreciated as the description of the invention in the following specification proceeds, such description being taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.